Campaign to help Meals on Wheels gets $25,000 donation

Published: Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 7:53 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 8:14 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — When a local AARP volunteer sat down to dinner one recent night, he had no idea he was schmoozing a top official with the national organization, recounting a unique local fundraising effort for Meals on Wheels.

Facts

Meals Match Challenge

WHAT: The Volusia County Council on Aging wants to raise $100,000 to match a grant offered by philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand. WHAT FOR: To help Meals on Wheels and other senior dining programs, which have seen cutbacks in federal funding. DEADLINE: July 31 RAISED SO FAR: $70,000 in donations HOW TO DONATE: Go to the council's website, www.coavolusia.org, and look for the Meals Match Challenge donation button. Or contact Marketing Director Cathy Coates at 386-253-4700 ext. 250 or at ccoates@coaiaa.org.

But retired educator Bill Ternent, an Ormond Beach resident who sits on the state AARP's executive committee, turned that chance meeting into a $25,000 gift from the AARP Foundation to edge the Volusia County Council on Aging closer to its $100,000 fundraising goal.

With just three weeks left, the Council on Aging has banked $70,000 in donations.

Doug Beach, the council's chief executive officer, said many more pledges have been made, but he said he can't say for sure how close the campaign is to topping the challenge offered by local philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand to match donations up to $100,000.

"We think we're going to be fine," Beach said Thursday.

At the start of June, Lemerand pledged to match donations, up to $100,000, by the end of July.

The challenge came in response to a federal budget cut of about $120,000 known as sequestration. The council closed one of its eight congregate dining sites for seniors, shut down the other seven for one day a week, and saw the wait list grow for Meals on Wheels, the volunteer-driven program that provides hot meals to low-income, largely homebound seniors.

Thanks to the AARP Foundation donation, the council plans to restore some of those services, Beach said. He thanked Ternent and other AARP officials at a check-passing ceremony Thursday at the council's office.

"Everything came together," Ternent said. "It was just the right perfect storm."

He went to an AARP function in Miami. At dinner, he was seated next to Jo Ann Jenkins, who in addition to serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer, is president of the AARP Foundation, the organization's fundraising arm.

Jenkins was already involved with an AARP effort that had been launched in 2011 in, of all places, Daytona Beach. The Drive to End Hunger is an effort to assist nearly 9 million people 50 and older who struggle with food insecurity. It also involves NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon and team owner Rick Hendrick.

"She didn't pull any special punches for us," Ternent said. "She just moved it on and urged people to do the right thing, and they did."

The Volusia Meals Match Challenge is the only Florida agency to receive a grant from the national AARP Foundation, said Dave Bruns, communication manager of AARP's Florida Office in Tallahassee. The Drive to End Hunger has so far generated 23 million meals for seniors, he said.

The foundation recognizes the valuable contribution agencies, such as the Council on Aging, and programs, such as Meals on Wheels, have made, Bruns said.

"Meals on Wheels volunteers are among the unsung heroes in fighting senior hunger, and have been for a long time," Bruns said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "There is invisible need out there. A lot of older seniors are struggling to get by on Social Security."

Seniors who live into their late 70s and 80s sometimes deplete their retirement savings, and are forced to choose between prescription medications and food, he said.

The Council on Aging is continuing to raise money through the end of July. A community sale at the agency's office, 160 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach, is planned for between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on July 20.

Meals Match Challenge

WHAT: The Volusia County Council on Aging wants to raise $100,000 to match a grant offered by philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand.

WHAT FOR: To help Meals on Wheels and other senior dining programs, which have seen cutbacks in federal funding.

DEADLINE: July 31

RAISED SO FAR: $70,000 in donations

HOW TO DONATE: Go to the council's website, www.coavolusia.org, and look for the Meals Match Challenge donation button. Or contact Marketing Director Cathy Coates at 386-253-4700 ext. 250 or at ccoates@coaiaa.org.

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; When a local AARP volunteer sat down to dinner one recent night, he had no idea he was schmoozing a top official with the national organization, recounting a unique local fundraising effort for Meals on Wheels. </p><p>But retired educator Bill Ternent, an Ormond Beach resident who sits on the state AARP's executive committee, turned that chance meeting into a $25,000 gift from the AARP Foundation to edge the Volusia County Council on Aging closer to its $100,000 fundraising goal. </p><p>With just three weeks left, the Council on Aging has banked $70,000 in donations. </p><p>Doug Beach, the council's chief executive officer, said many more pledges have been made, but he said he can't say for sure how close the campaign is to topping the challenge offered by local philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand to match donations up to $100,000. </p><p>"We think we're going to be fine," Beach said Thursday. </p><p>At the start of June, Lemerand pledged to match donations, up to $100,000, by the end of July. </p><p>The challenge came in response to a federal budget cut of about $120,000 known as sequestration. The council closed one of its eight congregate dining sites for seniors, shut down the other seven for one day a week, and saw the wait list grow for Meals on Wheels, the volunteer-driven program that provides hot meals to low-income, largely homebound seniors. </p><p>Thanks to the AARP Foundation donation, the council plans to restore some of those services, Beach said. He thanked Ternent and other AARP officials at a check-passing ceremony Thursday at the council's office. </p><p>"Everything came together," Ternent said. "It was just the right perfect storm." </p><p>He went to an AARP function in Miami. At dinner, he was seated next to Jo Ann Jenkins, who in addition to serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer, is president of the AARP Foundation, the organization's fundraising arm. </p><p>Jenkins was already involved with an AARP effort that had been launched in 2011 in, of all places, Daytona Beach. The Drive to End Hunger is an effort to assist nearly 9 million people 50 and older who struggle with food insecurity. It also involves NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon and team owner Rick Hendrick. </p><p>"She didn't pull any special punches for us," Ternent said. "She just moved it on and urged people to do the right thing, and they did." </p><p>The Volusia Meals Match Challenge is the only Florida agency to receive a grant from the national AARP Foundation, said Dave Bruns, communication manager of AARP's Florida Office in Tallahassee. The Drive to End Hunger has so far generated 23 million meals for seniors, he said. </p><p>The foundation recognizes the valuable contribution agencies, such as the Council on Aging, and programs, such as Meals on Wheels, have made, Bruns said. </p><p>"Meals on Wheels volunteers are among the unsung heroes in fighting senior hunger, and have been for a long time," Bruns said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "There is invisible need out there. A lot of older seniors are struggling to get by on Social Security." </p><p>Seniors who live into their late 70s and 80s sometimes deplete their retirement savings, and are forced to choose between prescription medications and food, he said. </p><p>The Council on Aging is continuing to raise money through the end of July. A community sale at the agency's office, 160 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach, is planned for between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on July 20. </p><p>Meals Match Challenge </p><p><b>WHAT:</b> The Volusia County Council on Aging wants to raise $100,000 to match a grant offered by philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand. </p><p><b>WHAT FOR:</b> To help Meals on Wheels and other senior dining programs, which have seen cutbacks in federal funding. </p><p><b>DEADLINE:</b> July 31 </p><p><b>RAISED SO FAR:</b> $70,000 in donations </p><p><b>HOW TO DONATE:</b> Go to the council's website, www.coavolusia.org, and look for the Meals Match Challenge donation button. Or contact Marketing Director Cathy Coates at 386-253-4700 ext. 250 or at ccoates@coaiaa.org.</p>